Human Resources Director

Lumira Search; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A venture-backed space technology company in Los Angeles is seeking a hands-on HR Director to lead and establish scalable HR processes. This role is crucial for supporting the company's rapid growth and ensuring compliance with employment laws. The ideal candidate will have over 7 years of HR leadership experience and the ability to manage employee relations effectively. As the first dedicated HR leader, you will build the people function and drive cultural initiatives that align with the company's goals.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in HR leadership roles.
• Strong knowledge of California and federal employment law.
• Direct experience managing hiring and firing decisions.
• Experience handling employee relations and difficult conversations.
• Experience supporting growing companies (15–100 employee range).
• Ability to operate as a hands-on HR leader in a startup environment.

Responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with California and federal employment law.
• Maintain HR policies, procedures, and documentation.
• Lead employee relations matters.
• Support rapid hiring growth (15–20 hires expected in the near term).
• Help create scalable HR processes as the company grows.

Skills

HR leadership

California employment law

Employee relations

Hiring practices

Startup environment experience

Tools

Rippling HRIS

Job description

We are working with a venture-backed space technology start-up developing advanced software and engineering systems for the space industry. The company is currently a small, elite team and expects to grow significantly over the next 12–24 months as new programs and funding close.

The company is seeking a hands-on HR Director who can build and lead the people function while supporting rapid growth.

The Role

This role will serve as the company’s first dedicated HR leader, responsible for establishing scalable HR processes while maintaining a strong culture in a highly technical start-up environment. The HR Director will work closely with leadership to ensure compliance, support hiring growth, and manage employee relations. This role is expected to grow into a future VP of HR position as the company scales.

Responsibilities

HR Operations & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with California and federal employment law.
• Maintain HR policies, procedures, and documentation.
• Oversee HR compliance in a defense-regulated environment.
• Support onboarding, employee lifecycle management, and HR systems.

Employee Relations

• Lead employee relations matters.
• Manage performance discussions, disciplinary processes, and terminations.
• Provide guidance to leadership on sensitive HR issues.
• Maintain a healthy workplace culture while ensuring legal compliance.

Hiring & Talent Scaling

• Support rapid hiring growth (15–20 hires expected in the near term).
• Coordinate with recruiters and hiring managers.
• Assist with job descriptions, hiring processes, and workforce planning.
• Ensure strong hiring practices and candidate experience.

Culture & Organizational Development

• Support leadership in maintaining a strong company culture.
• Partner with leadership on employee engagement initiatives.
• Help create scalable HR processes as the company grows.

Must Have

• 7+ years of experience in HR leadership roles.
• Strong knowledge of California and federal employment law.
• Direct experience managing hiring and firing decisions.
• Experience handling employee relations and difficult conversations.
• Experience supporting growing companies (15–100 employee range)
• Ability to operate as a hands-on HR leader in a startup environment.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Rippling HRIS.
• Experience working in aerospace, defense, or regulated industries.
• Experience supporting organizations requiring facility clearance.
• Experience building HR processes from scratch
• Must be a U.S. Citizen eligible to obtain and maintain a U.S. Government security clearance

Due to the number of applicants, if you have not had any feedback after 2 weeks of applying, then unfortunately you have been unsuccessful.